Golf club carrier



March 9, 1965 J. r. MAHANEY ETAL 3,172,535

GOLF CLUB CARRIER Filed June l0, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 nmumnrpnnnrnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn rv' /NvfNv-ons: JOSEPH T.MAHA/vfg CARROLL 5. BABE/e,

March 9, 1965 J. T. MAHANl-:Y ETAI. 3,172,585

GOLF CLUB CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 10 CHPROLL 5. 5,4551?,Liv/27W #Troia/EVS United States Patent() 3,172,585 GOLF CLUB CARRIERJoseph T. Mahaney, S059 Teasdale Ave., St. Louis, Mo., and Carroll S.Babar, 2 N. Duchesne, Florissant, Mo. Filed June 10, 1963, Ser. No.286,619 3 Claims. (Cl. 224-45) This invention relates to a golf clubcarrier that can be made to carry as few or as many golf clubs asdesired, that is extremely light in weight and easy to carry and thathas pivotally mounted legs to support the carrier in upright position,the legs being movable away from interference with the convenienttransportability of the carrier.

Many carriers for golf clubs have been used ranging from persons actingas Caddies to various mechanical devices. The services of Caddies areexpensive as is the use of power operated golf carts. Various attemptshave been made to devise less expensive golf club carriers includingcarts that are pulled behind the golfer and some portable carriers. Noneof these prior efforts have vbeen satisfactory vfrom the combinedstandpoint of low cost, low weight, and convenience of use. l

In general, this golf club carrier comprises a central supporting shafthaving a plurality of radial clamps for releasably receiving the lshaftof a plurality of golf clubs. A cup is supported adjacent one end of theshaft and the handles of all the clubs are received in the cup toprotect them from moisture. A handle and a pair of legs are connected tothe shaft. The legs are pivotally mounted toswing between positionsgenerally parallel to the shaft and projecting outwardly from .theshaft. When the legs are in the latter position they cooperate with theshaft to provide a tripod stand for the carrier, allowing selected golfclubs to be used at any time. When the legs pivot to their positiongenerally parallel to the shaft, they do not interfere withtransportation of the carrier.

A convenient tube is connected to the upper end of the shaft Vforholding golf balls. This tube yalso keeps the heads of the clubsseparated. The tube has a removable cartridge for providing ready accessto the golf balls and for supporting a lid to keep water out of thetube.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a portable golfclub carrier of inexpensive and lightprovide a golf club carrier havinga central supporting shaft with radially disposed clamps to releasablyhold a plurality of golf clubs, with a convenient handle fortransporting the carrier, and with pivotally mounted legs for supportingthe `carrier in a generally upright position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable golf clubcarrier having a transport handle and pivotal legs with a lockingmechanism located adjacent the transporting handle for controlling theposition of the pivotal legs.

` Yet another object of the invention is to provide a portable golf clubcarrier having clamp means to support a plurality of golf clubs andhaving a cup for protecting the handles of the golf clubs against groundmoisture.

Still another object of the invention -is to provide la portable golfclub carrier having clamps for releasably carrying a plurality of golfclubs and having legs for supporting the carrier in a generally uprightcondition, together with an easily accessible golf ball carrier.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lightweight golf clubcarrier that is made of inexpensive materials of such easy assembly thatthe carrier may be sold in kit form for assembly by the purchaser.

Patented Mar. 9, 1965 In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation view of the golf club carrier with thecarrier reclined on its side;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of the golf club carrier with thecarrier reclined on its back;

FIGURE 3 yis an enlarged View in section taken along the line 3-3 ofFIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is a view in section taken along the lin 4 4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan of the carrier;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged view in section taken along the line 6 6 ofFIGURE 3;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation view of the golf club carrier supportedin'a standing position;

FIGURE 8 is a view in section taken along the line 8 8 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary side View in section on an enlarged scale ofthe bottom end of the carrier;

FIGURE 10 is a side elevation view on an enlarged scale of a cartridgefor holding golf balls; and

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged view partly in section of a leg and itsconnection to a brace.

Referring now to the drawings, this carrier 10 comprises a centralsupporting shaft 11 having a head 12 at one end (see FIGURE 3). Theshaft 11 has threads 13 extending from the head 12 to the opposite end14.

A tube 15, preferably of cylindrical shape, having an open top 16 and abottom wall 17 with a hole 18 through it, is mounted on the shaft 11.The bottom wall 17 rests against the head 12 of the shaft, and a nut 19,threaded onto the shaft 11 locks the tube 15 in place.

There is a handle assembly 20 comprising a hollow aluminum tube 21extending parallel to the shaft 11. The upper end of the tube 21 isflattened to provide aconnecting arm 22.

The upper arm 22 is mounted on the shaft 11 betwee the nuts 19 and 24threaded onto the shaft. l

A pair of clampiassemblies 25 are threaded onto the shaft 11 inpositions spaced from one another, as illustrated in FIGURE 3. Theseclamp assemblies 25, which will be described in greater detailhereinafter, are each locked in place by a pair of nuts 26 and 27.

A flat handle bracket 28 is mounted on the shaft 11 and locked in placeby a pair of nuts 29 tightened against opposite sides of the plate 28.The lower end 30 of the tubular handle 21 is flattened, Iand the outerend 31 of the bracket 28 is bent in a flange. The end 30 of the handle'is fastened to the end 31 of the bracket 28 by a 4bolt 32.

A metal cup 33 is positioned at the lower end of the shaft 11 and heldin place by a pair of plates 34 and 35 against which a pair of nuts 36are tightened. If desired, a metal strip 37 having a hole 38 through itfor receiving an end of a shoulder strap (not shown) may also be lockedonto the shaft 11 with the cup 33. The cup 33 may be made of plastic orother material instead of metal. v

A straight plate 41 having downwardly bent sides 0r flanges 42 and 43 isfastened to the handle arm 22 by a pair of bolts 44. v The sides 42 and43 are also bent to diverge toward the front of the carrier, or towardthe tube 15, as shown in FIGURE 5. There may be a reinforcing backupplate 45 between the plate 41 and the handle arm 22. An L-shaped bracket46 is also fastened to the plate 41 by the bolts 44. A pair of legs 50and 51 are formed of aluminum rods. The upper ends of these legs 50 and51 are flattened as at 52 and 53 or may be fastened to flat disks. Apair of shoulder bolts or rivets 54 and 55 provide a pivotal attachmentof fthe legs 50 and 51. Shorter rod sections 56` and 57 extend from thepivots 54 and 55 a-t the obtuse angle with the legs 50 and 51. The rods56 and 57 have shoulders 58 near their upper ends, and the upper ends 60and 61, above the shoulders 58 are attened.

The flattened ends 69 and 61 of the rods 56 and 5'7 tit Within the slots62 and 63 in a brace bar 64. The slots 62 and 63 are larger than theattened ends 6G and 61 to permit the rods 56 and 57 to slide and turnslightly relative to the brace bar 64. A pair of plates 65 and 66 arefitted on the opposite sides of each slot 62 and 63 to provide slidablebearing surfaces, and a Wire key 67 through each rod end 60 and 61 locksthe brace bar 64 in plate. The plates 65 and 66 are thus held in placeby the keys 67 and the shoulders 5S.

The legs 50 and 51-can be pivoted about the flanges 42 and 43 of thecross plate 41. A lever assembly 79 controls this pivotal action andalso provides a lock to hold the legs in retracted positions, as willappear. The lever assembly 70 comprises an'arm 71, one end of whichshoulder bolt 72. A loop 73 or other convenient handle Yis pivotallyattached to the free end of the arm 71 by another shoulder bolt 74.

At a point about a third ofthe length of the arm 71 from the pivot end72, another arm 75 is pivotally fastened to the arm 71 by a shoulderbolt 76. A lug 77 is fixed to the center of the brace bar 64, and theother end of the arm 75 is pivotally attached to the lug 77 by ashoulder bolt 7 8.

Turning now to the clamp assemblies 25as shown in FiGURE 6, each clampassembly comprises a central block 79 having a plurality of flat sides86, depending upon the number of clubs to be supported by the carrier. Aspring metal clamp 81 is fastened to each flat side 80 by a screw 82.Each clamp 81 has a pair of sides S3 between which the shaft of a golfclub may be received. The clamps 81 are of conventional design and arecommercially available.

Finally, the tube 15 has an insert cartridge 85 to provide a holder forgoif balls 86. The cartridge is shown in FIGURE 10. `It comprises threespring metal strips 87, 88 and 89 Welded or bolted at their bottoms to.a circular plate 96 and at their tops to another circular plate 91. Theplate 91 extends beyond the outer extremes of the spring metal strips87, 8S and 89 and has a loop handle 92 welded to its upper surface.

The cartridge 85 ts into the tube 15 as shown particularly in FIGURE 3.When the cartridge S is removed, a golf ball 86 can be removed bypulling on it and spreading the spring strips 87 and 88 or 87 yand 89.Normally these strips are closer together than the diameter of a golfball and the golf balls will not fall out of the cartridge. However,when the cartridge S5 is in the tube 15, the spring strips 87 yieldablybear against the inner Wall of the tube 15 to hold the cartridge 85 inplace.

In use, this carrier 19 is extremely light in weight. All of its partsare preferably made of aluminum. It may be used to transport any desirednumber of gol-f clubs, shown in broken lines and designated GC in thedrawings. To lock these golf clubs to the carrier, their handles arefirst inserted into the cup 32 and then the shafts of the clubs aresnapped into the aligned clamps 80 on the two clamp assemblies 25. Inthe golf club carrier illustrated, there are eight such clampsS() oneach clamp assembly 25. When the golf clubs are in place, the heads ofthe clubs are kept separated by the tube 15.

To carry golf balls 86, -the golf ball cartridge 85 is removed from thetube 15, vand the ygolf balls are pressed between a pair of the springmetal strips 37, 88 and 89. Then the cartridge 85 is replaced. Thespring strips 87 press against the side of the tube 15 to hold thecartridge in place. The cap 91 keepszwater out of the tube 15.

When the carrier 10 is in its standing position as illustrated in FIGURE7, the legs 50 and 51 and the cup 33 act as a tripod to hold the carriererect. The golf clubs and golf balls may be readily taken from thecarrier to 4 be used to play the game of golf. The clubs and/or golfballs are easily put back in place on the carrier.

The carrier is transported by grasping its handle 21. if desired, thehandle mayhave a cork or rubber grip cover 95. When the carrier islifted above the ground, a forward push on the lever 71 by grasping theloop 73 will pivot the legs 5t) and 51 about the pins 54 and 55 towardpositions of general alignment with the shaft 11. (See FIGURE 2). Thus,the lever 71 pivots about the L-shaped bracket and draws the lever withit. The lever 75 pulls the brace bar 64 to pivot the legs.

When the arm 71 is pushed down against the handle arm 22, as shown inFIGURE 3, the other arm 75 is rotated below the bolt 72. This locks thelegs in the retracted position illustrated in FIGURE 2 because apositive external force must be applied to pivot the lever 71 tore-extend the legs. When the legs are retracted, they are free frominterference with transportation of the carrier 10.

To set the carrier upright on the ground again, it is only necessary topivot the lever 71 upwardly and away from the tube 15. This pivots thelever 75 to push the brace bar 64 downwardly and pivot the legs aboutthe bolts ,54 and 55. Then, when the carrier is rested on the ground,the Weight of the carrier holds the legs in the extended positions.

Since the flanges 42 and 43, to which the legs are attached, divergetoward the front of the carrier, the divergence of the legs changes withthe pivotal position of the legs. When the legs are extended to supportthe carrier as shown in FIGURE 7, the legs diverge more for bettersupport. When the legs are retracted, they draw together somewhat tomake the carrier more compact. The side slots 62 and 63 in the brace bar64 permit this action of the legs to occur.

The ease of assembly of this golf club carrier is of significance. Asalready noted, all parts of the carrier are supported by the centralshaft 11 that is threaded along'its entire length. To install the partson the shaft 11, the shaft is rst .introduced through the hole 1S in thebottom 17 of the tube 15 and the tube is slid along the shaft until itstops against the head 12 of the shaft 11. Then the locking nut 19 isthreaded onto the shaft until the tube is tightened against the head 12of the shaft.

Next the handle arm 22 is slid onto the shaft until it contacts the nut19. Then another nut 24 is threaded onto the shaft to lock the handlearm 22 .in place. Thereafter the clamp assemblies 25 are slid onto theshaft in proper sequence with their respective locking nuts 26 and 27.The individual clamps 31 may be fastened to the blocks 78 before orafter the blocks are mounted on the shaft 11. The positions of the clampassemblies 25 may be adjusted at any time to best support the golf clubsGC. This adjustment can be done by simply loosening one or both sets ofthe nuts 26 and 27 that lock the assemblies 25 in place.

VJhen the ciamp assemblies 25 are in place, the other handle bracket 28and its locking nuts 29 are fixed in place.

Next, the cup 33 may be installed by fastening it and the plates 34 and35 between the locking nuts 36. The metal strip 37 may be included ifdesired.

The leg assembly is easily installed by mounting the plates 41 and 45and the L-shaped bracket 46 on the handle arm 22. Then thel legs 51B and51, together with the rods 56 and 57 are attached by the shoulder bolts54 and 55, and the brace arm 64, with the plates 65 and 66 is attachedby the wire keys 67. Thereafter, the arms71 and 75 of the operatingassembly 70 are fastened in place.

The cartridge 35 may be preassembled by welded parts or it may beassembled by screws fastening the spring metal strips 87, 88 and 89 tothe plates 90 and 91.

From the foregoing it is quite obvious that this golf club carrier 1t)can be assembled in a matter of a fe minutes.

Various changes and modifications may be made within the purview of thisinvention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Suchchanges and modifications are within the scope and teaching of thisinvention as defined by the claims appended thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A golf club carrier comprising central shaft means having a top and abottom end, a plurality of clamps attached to the central shaft meansfor releasably engaging the shafts of a corresponding plurality of golfclubs, means spaced toward the bottom end of the central shaft means forreleasably confining ends of the golf clubs, and a pair of legs eachhaving a top and a bottom end, a bracket connected to the central shaftmeans adjacent the top end thereof, a pair of downwardly and outwardlyextending laterally spaced tabs depending from the bracket, `meansadjacent the top ends of the legs to pivotally connect the legs to thetabs for swinging movement between positions generally parallel to thecentral shaft means and positions downwardly and outwardly inclinedrelative to the `central shaft means, a connecting plate joined by looseconnections to the top ends of the legs, the tabs being divergent in thedirection of swinging movement of the legs toward the said outwardlyinclined positions to cause the legs to spread as they are swung to thelast named positions, the loose connections joining the `connectingplate to the legs permitting the foregoing action while holding the topends of the legs at substantially constant spacing between one another,the result being a steady tripod stand comprising the two legs and thecentral shaft means.

2. The golf club carrier of claim l wherein the tabs are spaced by thebracket from the central shaft means in a direction opposite to thattoward which the legs swing when swung toward the said outwardlyinclined positions.

3. The golf club carrier of claim 1 including a hand operable leverassembly having articulate connections to the connecting plate and thebracket for swinging the legs.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,418,093 5/22Parmater. Y 1,644,133 10/27 Howe 108--129 2,482,372 9/49 Rossow.

HUGO o. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

1. A GOLF CLUB CARRIER COMPRISING CENTRAL SHAFT MEANS HAVING A TOP AND ABOTTOM END, A PLURALITY OF CLAMPS ATTACHED TO THE CENTRAL SHAFT MEANSFOR RELEASABLY ENGAGING THE SHAFTS OF A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF GOLFCLUBS, MEANS SPACED TOWARD THE BOTTOM END OF THE CENTRAL SHAFT MEANS FORRELEASABLY CONFINING ENDS OF THE GOLF CLUBS, AND A PAIR OF LEGS EACHHAVING A TOP AND A BOTTOM END, A BRACKET CONNECTED TO THE CENTRAL SHAFTMEANS ADJACENT THE TOP END THEREOF, A PAIR OF DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLYEXTENDING LATERALLY SPACED TABS DEPENDING FROM THE BRACKET, MEANSADJACENT THE TOP ENDS OF THE LEGS TO PIVOTALLY CONNECT THE LEGS TO THETABS FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT BETWEEN POSITIONS GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THECENTRAL SHAFT MEANS AND POSITIONS DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY INCLINEDRELATIVE TO THE CENTRAL SHAFT MEANS, A CONNECTING PLATE JOINED BY LOOSECONNECTIONS TO THE TOP ENDS OF THE LEGS, THE TABS BEING DIVERGENT IN THEDIRECTION OF SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE LEGS TOWARD THE SAID OUTWARDLYINCLINED POSITIONS TO CAUSE THE LEGS TO SPREAD AS THEY ARE SWUNG TO THELAST NAMED POSITIONS, THE LOOSE CONNECTIONS JOINING THE CONNECTING PLATETO THE LEGS PERMITTING THE FORGOING ACTION WHILE HOLDING THE TOP ENDS OFTHE LEGS AT SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT SPACING BETWEEN ONE ANOTHER, THERESULT BEING A STEADY TRIPOD STAND COMPRISING THE TWO LEGS AND THECENTRAL SHAFT MEANS.